This controversial German lingerie add at first seems just like any other lingerie add. Shows a stereotypically attractive woman half-naked putting on a black bra, panties, and knee high tights. Then she puts masquer-a on and watches herself in the mirror. Then at the very end of the commercial the viewer sees her put on a burqa (garb worn by religous muslim females) as she looks in the distance. The caption at the bottom reads "Sexiness is for everyone. Everywhere."
So one might ask...is this breaching a sense of respect for religious Muslims. Or is this a liberating message to Muslim women saying that they can wear "sexy clothing" just as any other women?
I guess I see as it a bit of both, it goes a bit too far and the concept that one actually sees what is supposed to be a muslim woman in underwear is completely against the point of the Burqa and not revealing ones "tempting parts", but isn't it also a good message to put out that every woman should be confident in her body (which is the irony of having this as an add because the lingerie company is saying "sexiness is for everyone" (who buys our lingerie).
So what do you think?
Interesting post. This seems like a bit of cultural imperialism to me--imagining western ideas of sexuality and repression as existing in other cultures (where in reality those things may be very differently approached). The whole stress of this ad is so similar to Victoria's Secret (the secret the proper Victorian Victoria has is that under all those buttoned-up clothes she's wearing naughty underwear) that it seems laughable.
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